Welcome
To comply with the Internal Revenue Code (§6041(a) and §6045(f)) and the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996, as codified at 31 U.S.C. §3325 and §7701, we require appointed representatives to provide taxpayer identification information as a prerequisite for receiving direct payment.
Pursuant to our rules, entities must register with us to be eligible to receive direct payment of any fees we authorize for representational services performed by representatives who affiliate with them through the individual registration process. While registration is still optional for an entity that does not wish to receive direct payment, it is important to note that registration also allows us to report income to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) using the IRS Forms 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC.
IRS regulations require us to report when we directly pay fees of $600 or more in a calendar year. When we make aggregate payments to representatives or entities of $600 or above, we report the income to the IRS using Forms IRS 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC, as appropriate.
All entities that want to receive direct payment will need to register or update their registration with necessary payment and Point of Contact (POC) information. This information will be collected on a revised SSA-1694, Entity Registration and Taxpayer Information. We are giving entities advance time between September 30, 2024, and December 9, 2024, to complete or update their registration prior to the implementation of rules that will allow representatives to assign direct payment of authorized fees to entities with which they affiliate.
For more information about key features of the 2024 New Rule, see 2024 New Rule | Representing SSA Claimants | SSA. To review the revised regulations consistent with the decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Marasco & Nesselbush, LLP v Collins, 6 F.4th 150 (1st Cir. 2021), see Changes to the Administrative Rules for Claimant Representation and Provisions for Direct Payment to Entities.
What You Need to Know
- Anyone who intends to be an entity’s POC must register as a representative using form SSA-1699 Representative Registration before they can be named as a POC for an entity. Anyone who intends to be an entity’s POC may begin their registration immediately. Once the person’s registration is processed, they will receive a representative identification (RepID) number, which is required to complete form SSA-1694.
- To be eligible to receive assigned direct payment, the entity must designate and maintain a POC who has the authority to speak and act on behalf of the entity to resolve fee-related matters.
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Under our rules:
- A POC is a person designated by an entity to speak and act on their behalf to resolve fee matters related to direct payment.
- POCs are not required to be eligible for direct payment and are not required to be appointed on any claim.
- POCs must abide by our “Rules of Conduct and Standards of Responsibility” as applicable to their role as a POC.
- To complete entity registration, complete and fax Form SSA-1694 to us at 1-833-597-1429.
Who Should Complete This Form?
An individual serving as the Point of Contact or POC, who has registered with us in the manner that we prescribe and is selected to speak and act on the entity’s behalf and who assumes the affirmative duties and obligations we prescribe should complete this form on behalf of the entity.
If you are an attorney or non-attorney representative who owns your own business as a sole proprietor, single-member LLC, or single-member LLP, you should not complete the SSA-1694. You should complete the Form SSA-1699 Representative Registration, instead. You should also complete the Form SSA-1699 Representative Registration, if you are an individual who is eligible or seeking to serve as POC for an entity, who has not registered or who needs to update your registration information before completing or updating the entity registration information.
Information You Will Need
Be prepared to provide us with the following information:
- POC name, Rep ID, Position or Job in the Entity, and POC direct line or extension
- Employer identification number (EIN) for the business
- Name and tax mailing address for the business
- Entity Banking Information for Direct Deposit
Minimum System Requirements
As of October 2022, firms, corporations, and other entities no longer have the option to register with us online; however, minimum system requirements are still necessary to access and print Form SSA-1694.
To complete this report online, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader (To download a free copy, go to http://www.adobe.com/downloads.)
You can complete Form SSA-1694 Entity Registration and Taxpayer Information, in Adobe before printing the form, or you can choose to print and manually complete the information on the form. Since entity registration options have been removed from the Business Services Online (BSO) suite, either process requires you to print a paper copy of SSA-1694.
Privacy Statement
Sections 203 and 1631 of the Social Security Act, as amended, allow us to collect this information, which we will use to identify representatives associated with a business entity as employees or partners, and to facilitate issuance of appropriate return information for reporting purposes. Providing this information is voluntary, but not providing all or part of the information may prevent you from serving as an entity POC and may prevent the entity from receiving direct payment of fees from SSA. As law permits, we may use and share the information you submit, including with employers of claimants’ representatives, contractors, other Federal agencies, and others, as outlined in the routine uses within System of Records Notice 60-0325, available at www.ssa.gov/privacy.com. The information you submit may also be used in computer matching programs to establish or verify eligibility for Federal benefit programs and to recoup debts under these programs.
Paperwork Reduction Act Statement
This information collection meets the requirements of 44 U.S.C. §3507, as amended by the Social Security Act, as amended by §2 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. You do not need to answer these questions unless we display a valid Office of Management and Budget control number. We estimate that it will take about 10 minutes to read the instructions, gather the facts, and answer the questions. You may send comments on our time estimate above to: SSA, 6401 Security Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21235-6401. Send only comments relating to our time estimate to this address, not the completed form.